HMTL Recap and Review -Swamp Thing: S1E9 – “The Anatomy Lesson”
Welcome back to Haunted MTL’s extensive recap and review series for Swamp Thing on DC Universe. The cancellation of the show definitely put a crunch of the episode order, and we see that play out in an episode that, while anchored by an iconic adaptation, is hampered elsewhere.
The Story So Far
Alec Holland?
Woodrue has his hands, finally, on the Swamp Thing and spends the episode engaging in an incredibly gross and anxiety-inducing autopsy with a still-conscious Swamp Thing. The whole of the autopsy scenes is colored by sickly green lights, creating a sense of unease as the doctor carves his way through the plant-body of a being we have known to be Alec Holland.
Every instance of cutting, breaking, and severing is accompanied by crackles and snapping of vegetation, as Woodrue removes organs from Swamp Thing’s/Alec’s body, but… something does not seem right. Lungs, a heart and pulled from the body, but Swamp Thing still lives. Woodrue, excited, breaks the news to Swamp Thing that he is not Alec Holland. Swamp Thing is merely a plant that thinks it is Alec Holland.
Swamp Thing is eventually freed by the collective actions of Abby, Liz, and the Blue Devil. His body repairs itself, but his mind needs to heal. He journeys to the swamps, Abby following, and rises from the water, bearing a corpse in his arms…
The remains of Alec Holland.
Blue Devil Arrives
The Phantom Stranger finally unveils the purpose behind Daniel Cassidy’s presence in Marais, showing him a vision of Abby and Liz being murdered by mercenaries in a factory. This is only a possible future and one that Daniel can prevent.
Just as it seems that events will play out as seen when Abby and Liz arrive at the cement factory, we finally encounter the Blue Devil himself. Daniel, in his devilish new form, destroys the mercenary team in a spectacular fashion.
Sunderland Ambitions
The Sunderland family is fractured. Avery ties up a loose end by calling in a favor with a judge. Maria is institutionalized, and to rub salt in that wound, she is visited by Avery. They share bitter words, and Maria is surprised that Avery survived the attempted murder. Avery suggests she will never see him again.
Meanwhile, Matt Cable still rattled by the darkness he has seen, and the possibility of Avery being his father gets drunk at Del’s. Matt commits the cardinal sin of drinking while driving and crashes his car, leaving his fate up in the air.
Wood… rue
Woodrue opens the episode with a pointed scene with his wife, Caroline. He is incredibly excited, waking her, believing he has a solution to the problem that is her Alzheimer’s disease. She reveals she has had a nightmare; one that seems almost prophetic. But Woodrue is so excited he doesn’t really pay attention to her dire words… he is eager to pursue his science to save her.
Caroline is seen later by Abby and Liz, seeking Jason Woodrue. Her condition has tragically deteriorated, but Abby can do little for her as she must seek out Alec. Later, as chaos unfolds at the cement factory lab, Woodrue returns home for Caroline, only to discover she had taken all of her pills and is dying a slow and silent death.
What Stood Out?
The core of the episode is the autopsy and it is very satisfying to watch. It is a strong, central story and set of images, at least compared to other moments. Where the show pulls moments directly from the pages of the comic is where the episode is at it’s best.
The Final Verdict on Swamp Thing
The grade here is more reflective of the ambition than the actual results. The show being canceled plays out in this episode. It feels highly compressed and does not quite deliver the weight befitting of the revelations of the truth of Swamp Thing and the introduction of the true Blue Devil.
It is great to see the show attempt such a seminal piece of Swamp Thing lore, the but circumstances of the production ultimately drag down the strength of the concept. So much of the episode feels hurried and scattershot. Additionally, the long-awaited appearance of the Blue Devil was a bit underwhelming in that we do not really get to see him clearly.
(3.5 / 5)
Deep Roots
This episode pulls very heavily from one of the first issues of the classic Alan Moore run of the comic. The revelation that Swamp Thing was not actually Alec Holland, at the time, was incredibly shocking and revolutionary. The show squanders this a bit by jamming the episode full of characters and underutilizing some, like Abby and Liz.
However, the adaptations of some of Swamp Thing‘s most iconic moments and images on this show have been a pleasure to behold.
Last night’s episode of American Horror Story Delicate was wild. From its star-studded start to its powerfully quiet finish, I was enthralled through every moment.
Let’s discuss.
The story
We begin this episode at the funeral of Dex’s mom. While he’s giving a eulogy, which was very nice, Ms. Preecher walks in. She shouts to the room that Virginia didn’t commit suicide, she was murdered. She also tells Dex to listen to his wife.
What a concept!
Touched by this, or maybe just curious, Anna goes to the hospital to check on Preecher. She falls asleep at the hospital. When she wakes up, Preecher is gone. A nurse says that she was discharged to a group of women.
While at the hospital, Anna also discovers that she’s been nominated for best actress.
At a publicity event for the awards, Anna runs into Cora. And she sees the coat she remembers from her late-night visit near the start of her pregnancy.
With the slightest amount of pressure, Cora spills it all. She and Dex have been having an affair, and Cora was trying to sabotage Anna’s pregnancy. So Anna, channeling her inner Madison Montgomery, kicks him out and heads to the awards ceremony with Siobhan.
There, Siobhan asks her if she wants an Oscar more than anything. If she’d be willing to give up anything for it.
And Anna says yes.
The bargain is then sealed with a kiss.
What worked
I’d like to begin, paradoxically, at the end of the episode. We’ve seen Anna have some terrible, loud, frightening hallucinations in this season. At least, we assume they’re hallucinations. But this one wasn’t loud. It was, in fact, very quiet. Anna is led off stage, without a word, leaving nothing but a puddle of blood behind.
In horror, like in all art, the notes you don’t play are as important as the ones you do. And the notes that weren’t played her rang like a bell.
I also appreciated that this episode describes why being a celebrity would be a huge pain in the ass. Imagine going to an event where the whole purpose is for people to take pictures of you while holding their product. Imagine if they invaded your personal space, sprayed things on you, put things over your eyes, and you were expected to smile and pose.
I don’t know what it is about being a celebrity that makes others feel entitled to a person. To talk with them, take their time, and share in their moments. To touch them without consent. Yes, there are way worse things happening to people. But this isn’t a great way to live. It’s no wonder so many of them go nuts. This is most clearly shown in the scene when Anna is sitting next to Preecher’s bed. She wakes up to find the older woman gone. But all anyone wants to talk about is how she was just nominated for an Oscar. At that moment, she doesn’t give a damn. She cares about this kind woman, and where she’s gone. Just like any other person.
Finally, I appreciated that this season didn’t do what so many AHS seasons do. Which is to say that this episode didn’t feel like the last episode. It felt like the penultimate episode. It felt like there was still more story to tell, not just loose ends to be wrapped up. I appreciate that the writers have finally learned that lesson.
For this season, at least.
What didn’t work
The first thing that bothered me in this episode was Cora’s confession. I said something about this during our live-watch event on Threads. (Join us next week for the finale. Bring popcorn and wine.)
I don’t believe Cora’s confession. I further don’t believe that she just dumped all of this incriminating info on Anna with no more prompting than a wide-eyed look. There was just no reason for it. So, Anna saw her coat? Lots of people have similar coats. This feels fake, and she brought no receipts.
I also found Siobhan’s behavior confusing. At times she seems genuinely concerned for Anna’s wellbeing. At other times, she is more than willing to let her suffer and risk her pregnancy.
While this has been going on all season, it was happening every few minutes in this one. Either Siobhan cares about the welfare of that fetus, or she doesn’t. But she needs to pick a lane.
All in all, I don’t know what to expect from next week’s season finale. Anna has her Oscar, but now she might lose her baby. She might also get sucked into some horrible cult and experience a bad death. We won’t know until next week.
See you then.
(4 / 5)
Episode two of Amazon Prime’s Fallout was equal parts funny and bloody. This almost always leads to a good time.
The story
We begin this episode with the birth of some puppies that look like they’ve had a rough start to life. Each one is weighed, with the ones who fall short being incinerated.
One pup who is just below the correct weight gets a bit of a thumb on their scale. The scientist weighing them, Wilzig, writes down the proper weight. He later takes the puppy home to raise instead of putting them into what looks like an unforgiving training program.
Eventually, we see Wilzig put some blue glowing thing into his neck. When a soldier comes for him, Dog attacks the soldier, and the two escape.
We go from there to the wilderness, where Lucy is recovering from the last episode and enjoying a campfire at night. Wilzig and Dog come out of the shadows, saving Lucy from a bug monster. Wilzig tells Lucy she should go home. And if she’s not going to go home, she needs to evolve.
The next day Lucy finds her way to a town called Filly. As a Pennsylvanian, it hurts me to spell it that way. Lucy is entranced by this town, though clearly put off by the fact that no one is very nice here.
She eventually finds her way to a shop run by a delightful woman named Ma June. Ma doesn’t seem particularly interested in helping Lucy. Or, frankly, having Lucy in her shop.
Or in her town.
Eventually, Wilzig is tracked to this same shop, being tracked by The Ghoul. This is our final primary character. Lucy defends Wilzig, being aided at the last moment by Maximus.
Maximus, by the way, has been having a terrible time. After finally becoming a squire he’s disappointed to find that his knight, Knight Titus, is a terrible person.
Fortunately, Maximus doesn’t have to put up with Titus for long. After Titus gets the bright idea to go hunting, he’s attacked by a mutated bear. Maximus freezes, unable to save him. Then, well, he decides not to save him.
It was Titus’s idea to go hunt the bear, after all.
What worked
The first thing I want to draw attention to is the shootout scene at Filly. This scene checked every box a fight scene should check. It was fun to watch, with great effects. But it also gave us insight into the characters. Lucy is a decent fighter and has a strong moral compass. The Ghoul is callus and desensitized to death. And Maximus continues to be, well, sort of bad at this whole fighting thing. But with enough moral fortitude that we have a hard time blaming him.
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the dog. Who’s name, as far as I’ve been able to ascertain, is just Dog. Which is fine. He doesn’t need to have a name to be a very good boy. He’s sweet, loyal, and fearless.
Also, puppies. Puppies are always great.
Finally, I’d like to shine a spotlight on Lucy’s reaction to the world at large. She is both amazed and terrified by everything. And while she certainly doesn’t want to be rude, she also doesn’t want to be taken advantage of. The best example of this is when she stops to ask for directions with a bright smile and a gun.
Once again, I don’t have anything bad to say about this episode. It was funny, dark, and fun to watch. I’m very much looking forward to the rest of the season.
(4 / 5)
Launching with worldwide excitement, Fallout is based on the extremely popular game series of the same name. Fans of the series have waited with anticipation and trepidation to see if the Prime series would live up to the game.
Having now watched the first episode I can say that, so far, it’s successful.
The story
Our story begins with a children’s birthday party. A performer is there with his daughter, giving horse rides and taking pictures with the kids.
As much as the adults try to focus on the party and the kids, it’s impossible to ignore the looming threat of war that’s on everyone’s mind.
Of course, it’s during this party that war comes, and the bombs drop.
We then cut to after the war and into one of the vaults established to protect humankind and the American Way. For future reference, this is Vault 33. We meet Lucy, our first main character, who’s petitioning to be married to a man from Vault 32 to ensure DNA diversity.
On the wedding night, though, Lucy and the rest of Vault 33 are met with a horrible surprise. The group they let in is not in fact from Vault 32, but is instead a team of raiders from the surface. The raiders kill a lot of the vault dwellers and kidnap Lucy’s father.
We are then introduced to our second main character, Maximus. He is in training to become a Knight in the Brotherhood of Steel. And, well, he’s not doing great.
Things get worse when his best friend Dane becomes a squire before him. But when Dane is hurt, Maximus gets their spot.
We then go back to Lucy, who has decided to leave the vault and find her dad. Of course, the council of her vault doesn’t want her to go. So she is aided by her brother Norm and cousin Chet in a wild escape.
What worked
The first thing that deserves attention is the exceptional character work. Our three main characters are fleshed out and relatable right away. We feel sympathetic for The Ghoul before he’s even introduced as such. We love Lucy’s nativity and selflessness. And we love Maximus for his honesty and passion for his cause.
While these characters are their own people, they also exhibit the three responses we might expect to see in a post-apocalyptic world. We have the hopeful optimist who doesn’t understand how bad things are. We have the aspiring hero who wants to make the world better by force. And we have the self-serving individual who’s given up on the rest of humanity and is only focused on surviving.
Another thing I enjoyed about this episode was the balance of humor and gore. Because there was certainly enough blood and guts for even the most hardcore horror lover. We had a violent sabotage, a brawl with raiders, and even several nuclear bombs.
But there were a lot of funny moments as well. Usually from Lucy. Her overall goodwill and fearless gumption are absolutely hilarious, especially given the horrors she’s facing. It never ceases to amuse me.
Both of these aspects are done perfectly. The jokes land and the bloody scenes pull no punches. It was delightful.
All in all, this was an exciting start to a much-anticipated series. Here’s hoping they’re able to stick the landing.
For more tv shows based on video games, check out my review of Witcher.
(4 / 5)
